World Press Freedom Day

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), in partnership with fesmedia Africa of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, is launching the 2017 So This is Democracy? publication, which assesses freedom of expression and media freedom developments in southern African countries in 2017. Under the theme ‘lights out on democracy’, referencing the increased interference by governments in citizens’ freedom of expression and access to information online, the publication looks at “a landscape where the insidious and subtle erosion of free speech rights is compounded both by the media’s struggle for economic survival and its relevance to citizens who all too easily disown their media and the critical role it plays in keeping power to account.” The report concludes that “under the guise of ensuring protection of citizens from computer related crimes, numerous governments across southern Africa either tabled or enacted legislation to regulate online content. In most instances such laws were poorly conceived, often violating citizens’ privacy and criminalising free speech.”